Being a Blessing
by Kristen3
Summary: Sequel to "Special Needs." Daphne finds a new sense of purpose after meeting David's new friend and her mother. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **Although I loved Melinda (carylfan10)'s "Gifted," I felt the need to write a more direct sequel to "Special Needs." This is a subject matter which hits rather close to home for me, so it was fairly easy to write. I hope people like it! :)

Daphne wasn't sure if David was looking forward to this playdate, but she certainly was. Ever since she'd witnessed her son helping a classmate with special needs, she'd been seeing David in a new light. After Niles suggested inviting the girl over to play, Daphne thought it was a wonderful idea. And Andrea's mother had been thrilled at the invitation.

As she waited for the doorbell to ring, Daphne felt a bit nervous. She couldn't really understand why, since David had had friends over to play many times before. But for some reason, she wanted Andrea to feel welcome here. The bell rang, and Daphne went to answer it. At the door she saw a woman, obviously Andrea's mother. Andrea herself seemed to be doing her best to hide behind her mother's leg.

"Hello," Daphne said, extending her hand out to Andrea's mother, Nancy.

Nancy smiled and shook Daphne's hand.

The two women exchanged pleasantries for a few moments. Then Daphne bent down to where Andrea stood, still trying not to be noticed. Daphne smiled as warmly as she could. Andrea was adorable, with her dark hair and eyes nearly the same shade of brown as Daphne's. "It's nice to meet you, Andrea. I'm David's Mum. His dad is right there." She pointed to where Niles was standing.

Andrea did not respond. It was clear she was still nervous. Nancy bent down next to her daughter. "Don't be shy. Just tell her what I told you to say."

"It's nice to meet you," Andrea said. The words came out slowly, but Daphne had no trouble understanding her.

Just then, David appeared behind his mother. "Hey, Andrea. Want to come see my room?"

Andrea nodded, and David took her by the hand. The three adults watched, speechless, as he walked her over to the foot of the staircase. Then the two climbed the stairs slowly. David never showed a hint of impatience. When they reached the top, Andrea beamed down at them. "Look, Mommy I made it all the way up!"

Nancy gave her daughter a thumbs-up. Daphne noticed there were tears in her eyes. When the children went into David's room, Nancy turned her attention to Niles and Daphne. "Your son is wonderful. I can't tell you what a difference he's made for my daughter. She hasn't stopped talking about him all week!"

Daphne beamed. "I'm awfully proud of the way he offered to help look after her."

"You should be," Andrea's mother replied. "Back in Texas, at her old school, nobody would play with Andrea. It was awful. She would come home in tears. I thought maybe if we moved, she could at least have a chance to start over. But I never even dreamed she would find somebody like David!"

Daphne's heart went out to this mother. She was grateful that David had never really had much trouble with bullies. Apparently, the fact that his grandfather was a police officer who'd been wounded while on duty made him at least cool enough not to be picked on.

Andrea's mother continued. "I was so glad when you called, Mrs. Crane. You see, my husband works a lot, so I feel like I'm doing all of this on my own." Her voice began to break, and Daphne immediately hugged her tightly.

"Call me Daphne. And if there's ever anything I can do for you, you just let me know. I'm a physical therapist. Or I used to be, until I married Niles. Now I just help look after Niles' father."

Nancy smiled. "Thank you so much. I wasn't sure if this move was such a good idea or not. But now I'm so happy we came here."

Daphne hugged her one more time. She, too, was grateful for whatever twist of fate had brought this family to Seattle. Andrea's mother had errands to run, so Daphne encouraged her to leave her daughter to play with David while she did what she needed to do. Nancy almost hesitated, but decided against it. Andrea was definitely in good hands.

Moments later, the door closed, and Niles and Daphne were alone. "Thank you," Daphne said, putting her arms around her husband and kissing him.

"What for, my love?"

"Everything. I can't imagine raising a child all on me own. Especially not one like Andrea."

Niles caressed her cheek. "I have no doubt that you would be more than capable of taking care of a child without me, no matter what limitations he or she had."

Daphne's heart melted. "Thank you, but I'm glad I don't have to do that. I have a feeling Andrea and her mother can use all the help they can get."

Niles tipped Daphne's chin up, gently kissing her lips. "As proud as I am of our son for the way he's been treating Andrea, I'm equally proud of you for the way you offered to help. It constantly amazes me the way you think of others before yourself."

Daphne blushed. "You make it sound as if I had superpowers or something. I guess I just sort of miss helping people the way I used to. I love taking care of your father now and then, but it isn't the same as it was when I was working for your brother. I had a purpose then. I don't mean to sound like a horrible mother, but -"

Niles kissed her, cutting her off mid-sentence. "You could never be a horrible mother. And I can understand you wanting to do something more. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you. I love you, and I want you to be happy."

Once again, Daphne was nearly overwhelmed with love for him. "I _am_ happy, darling. But I don't think it would hurt to look into something part-time."

Niles kissed the back of her hand. "Then it's settled."

Daphne had always known that she was lucky to have a husband as sweet and caring as Niles. But she was grateful for so many other things that she'd never noticed before. Of course, there was the side of David she'd only begun to see. Then there was also the feeling that came from being able to help a person in need. She had a feeling she and Niles were definitely going to be seeing more of little Andrea and her family. Her psychic powers confirmed that this would be a blessing for both families.

**The End**


End file.
